Cebu Metropolis’s Pari-an Fireplace Station was the primary hearth station ever in-built Visayas and Mindanao. | CDN Photograph/ Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A stroll across the barangay of Pari-an in Cebu Metropolis takes you round a number of heritage websites that may deliver you again to the Spanish colonial interval.
The district, situated close to the historic Colon road, has grow to be a must-visit vacation spot for these on the lookout for a preview of the lives of the early Cebuanos.
From the Jesuit Home, the Yap Sandiego Ancestral Home, Casa Gorordo Museum, and the long-lasting Cebu Heritage Monument – the world showcases a lot of the historical past of the island of Cebu.
Unbeknownst to many, nevertheless, there may be one other construction that has been there lengthy earlier than Cebu Metropolis turned a significant enterprise middle within the nation.
A seemingly modern-looking hearth station in the midst of the principle road seems to be one of many oldest hearth stations in the entire Philippines.
The Pari-an Fireplace Station comes second to the Tanduay hearth station situated in Manila.
It is usually the primary hearth station established in Visayas and Mindanao.
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Fireplace Officer 3 (FO3) Fulbert Navarro, lead investigator of the Cebu Metropolis Fireplace Station (CCFS), instructed CDN Digital that the barangay’s hearth substation has been operational for 118 years.
The hearth station was initially a part of the convent of the barangay’s parish church. | Contributed photograph
It was first established as a hearth station within the yr 1907. Since then, just a few renovations and paint jobs have been accomplished to keep up the constructing’s exterior.
Navarro narrated that the construction was initially part of the convent of the San Bautista Church.
After the church was demolished through the Spanish colonization interval, it was used as a “gremio” or guild for the affiliation of Filipino-Chinese language merchants residing within the space, which was recognized then as a buying and selling hub.
This photograph was taken from the second ground of the constructing someday in 1915. | Contributed photograph
Throughout the revolution, it served as a subject hospital for the wounded Spanish troopers.
When the Spanish forces have been defeated, it turned a municipal corridor and seat of energy for the Philippine Revolutionary Authorities in Cebu.
Beneath the American forces, the second edifice of the constructing was become a army garrison. The primary edifice, however, was made into a hearth station.
Throughout this time, firefighters would reply to fireplace incidents utilizing horse-drawn carriages. | Contributed photograph
In accordance with Navarro, the World Battle 2 triggered the destruction of the constructing, along with many of the institutions within the island. It was thought-about as a army goal and was bombed down through the warfare.
It was across the yr 1954 that the hearth station was rebuilt.
Navarro shared that there’s just one doc from the previous that mentions the hearth station in Brgy. Pari-an – making it tough to precisely pinpoint the precise time it was reconstructed.
“There was no written document truly of the station. The one written document in existence that mentions the hearth station is in a Supreme Courtroom case. It was determined round 1917 nga case,” he mentioned.
The brand new constructing featured an American model of structure with a big equipment ground and a spacious higher edifice. The construction, made totally of concrete, ensured that the constructing would stay robust and unaffected by any earthquakes or different pure disasters within the years to return.
Its outdated hearth watch tower, which was manned by one individual till the late 90s, has been reworked right into a clock water and unveiled to the general public final February 25, 2025.
In Cebu Metropolis, solely three hearth substations have been constructed with poles that have been beforehand utilized by the firefighters to shortly slide all the way down to the decrease floor in solely seconds.
The Pari-an hearth station has two strong copper poles on all sides and one in the midst of the constructing. These poles, nevertheless, have been left unused since 2022 after it was deemed to be unsuitable to be used on account of security considerations.
Navarro mentioned that they opted for the usage of stairs as an alternative because it was safer and nonetheless allowed the personnel to shortly transfer from their sleeping quarters to the firetruck when responding to emergencies.
As we speak, the station has a complete of six workplaces that homes the Pari-an Fireplace Station firefighting crew, the Fireplace Security Enforcement Part, Emergency Medical Companies (EMS), Motorpool part, Logistics Part, and Workplace of the Investigation and Intelligence Part.
FO3 Fulbert Navarro and Senior Fireplace Officer 4 Justo Fernandez Jr., commander of Pari-an Fireplace Substation, stand in entrance of the station which has been working for 118 years. | CDN Photograph/ Emmariel Ares
After greater than 100 years, the Pari-an Fireplace Station stays to be the barangay’s most important local-level catastrophe administration useful resource, offering a office for the courageous women and men who put their very own lives in danger to avoid wasting others.
Its historic significance, nevertheless, is a undeniable fact that extra individuals should know for them to totally recognize the way it got here to be through the years, acknowledged Navarro.
It’s important for the general public to know the way the hearth station witnessed the expansion of Brgy. Pari-an from a bustling enterprise middle to a lavish livelihood space within the earlier a long time.
Regardless of not being an official heritage website, the Pari-an Fireplace Station holds a wealthy historical past that displays the expansion of the entire island of Cebu. | CDN Photograph/ Emmariel Ares
This manner, residents and vacationers alike go by the barangay’s hearth station and be reminded of its wealthy historical past as one of many first hearth stations ever in-built your entire Philippines. /clorenciana
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